18. Major
“There’s his car,” Dynastie said, pointing at a vehicle parked in front of the building.
“Does your condo face the front or the back?” I asked as Jrue drove past the front of the building.
“Both.”
“Is there another entrance into the building?”
“Yeah. Two side entrances.”
“Bet. Jrue, park on the corner. Baby, you feel comfortable staying here alone until I come back and get you?”
“Yeah. This is a safe neighborhood. My unit is 201, and it’s the closest to this end. Here’s the key to my apartment, and the code to enter the building is 20138.”
Jrue parked, and he and Brax got out, giving me a few minutes alone with Dynastie.
“Major, please be careful. I don’t want you to—”
“I’ll be fine, baby.”
“I know, but—”
“Lovie, I know it’s been a long time, but you ain’t forgot what kinda nigga I am. I’m not letting this shit slide.”
She nodded in understanding before saying, “Be careful. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We exchanged a kiss before I got out. Brax’s and Jrue’s eyes were on me as soon as I stepped onto the sidewalk.
“I hate going in here naked,” I said.
“You don’t have a choice this time, but we got you covered,” Jrue assured me.
They lifted the hems of their shirts to show me they were prepared. We’d grown up adjacent to the streets and didn’t engage in illegal activities to survive, but we were close to many who did and gained a wealth of knowledge and some street credibility.
As my bodyguard, Jrue always packed heat for him and Brax in his luggage and checked his bag. As a team, we decided that, because of who I was and what I stood to lose, I would carry only if absolutely necessary.
“Let’s go and get this shit over with. Hopefully, we can leave here without catching a body,” Brax said.
“Wait,” Dynastie said as she opened the back passenger door. “I want to hear what’s going on. Give me your phone.”
Confused, I handed her my phone and watched as she called herself. She answered her phone, put it on mute, then placed it in my hand.
“Be careful.”
I nodded, and we headed toward the building. When we arrived at the side door, I entered the code Dynastie had given me. The stairs leading to the second floor were in the middle of the hallway, so we headed that way.
“Give me the key,” Jrue said.
“Nah. I got it.”
“Give me the key, Major,” he demanded.
Technically, he was my bodyguard, but I didn’t need him to actually protect me. Jrue was a few inches taller and about twenty pounds heavier than I was, and he came in handy when I needed to get through large crowds. Other than that, he was a prop.
I gave him the key just before we made it to the door to Dynastie’s condo. He gave me a warning look to calm my ass down before unlocking the door and slowly pushing it open. It was dark inside, but I could sense someone's presence.
Jrue flipped on the light switch near the door, and because of the open concept floor plan, we could see the damage in the kitchen and living room, and it was quite alarming.
“Major, I’ve been waiting for you,” I heard a deep male voice say.
I tried to step in front of Jrue, but he put his big body in front of me as Brax held me back.
“Why the fuck are you waiting for me?”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t let Dynastie come alone, and you’re who I wanted to see.”
Jrue, Brax, and I stood in the doorway wearing confused expressions. The voice was several feet away and to the left, but it didn’t sound familiar at all.
“If you wanted to see me, there were better ways to go about it,” I shouted.
“Nah, this way is much better. Come in, and we can get reacquainted.”
“Reacquainted? Nigga, I don’t know you,” I shouted.
Jrue gave me a look and tossed his head back, telling me to get behind Brax. I didn’t want to, but I did. With me bringing up the rear, we entered the condo.
The further into the space we went, the more destruction I saw. When a tall, lean figure appeared from the corner, Jrue and Brax drew their guns and aimed in his direction.
“I should’ve known you’d have your minions with you,” Jordan said.
“Brax, go pat him down. Jrue, go check the other rooms,” I said.
I watched as Brax checked to see if Jordan had a weapon, studying him to see if he looked familiar. He clearly knew more about me than I did about him, which made me wonder what Dynastie may have told him about me.
“He’s clean,” Brax announced.
“He’s here alone, but those other rooms are fucked up,” Jrue said.
They returned to their positions on either side of me, resting their weapons at their sides.
Jordan looked very calm for someone who’d just had two guns pointed at him, which was enough to let me know he wasn’t wrapped too tight.
He folded his arms over his chest, and the smug expression he wore made me want to pretend like he was my next opponent.
“You don’t know me now, but we used to be good friends. I’ve been waiting a long time for this little reunion. Longer than Dynastie. It took a lot of patience, but I knew we’d cross paths again, even if I had to force it.”
“Aye, man. You sound crazy as hell. I’ve never met you a day in my life.”
“A lot has changed over the years. How’s Freya?”
I frowned because this shit was getting weird. Not only did he seem to know me, but he also knew my sister.
“How do you know my sister? Stop fucking playing with me and tell me who the fuck you are.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know Freya as well as I’d like.
You ruined it before I had the chance. In fact, you fucked up my whole life.
My face was unrecognizable from the injuries I sustained at your hands.
After my stint in juvie, my mind was fucked up too.
The shit that happens in there will make the strongest person want to end it all, but I survived and fought that urge . . . for this moment right here.”
I didn’t take my eyes off him as he spoke, and the longer I stared and listened, it all came back to me. If the man in front of me was Dontrell Laney, I had a lot of questions.
“Dontrell?” I finally spoke.
“I knew it wouldn’t take long for my old friend to remember me. I had to have a lot of work done because of how badly you beat me. How do I look?”
“Muthafucka!” I shouted, charging toward him.
I got close enough to grab the front of his shirt, but two sets of hands were on my shoulders, pulling me away.
“Calm down, man. He’s not worth it,” Brax warned.
“Yes, please. Calm down. I went through a lot of trouble to get you here today,” Dontrell said.
“If I get my hands on you, I promise you will die today,” I spat.
“My only purpose in life for the past fourteen years has been to find a way to make you feel a semblance of the pain I felt. Dying doesn’t scare me, Major.
I’d go down in history as the reason your boxing career started and ended.
That’s not too bad for a guy who came from nothing and spent four years in juvie before his life had a chance to get started. ”
“You deserved more than that, bitch-ass nigga.”
“I’ve hated you since the day we met because your life seemed perfect compared to mine.
You had everything I wanted: parents who loved you, a little sister who looked up to you, girls fighting over you, and friends who wanted to be like you.
You had it all. The first time you invited me to your house, I felt like I was home, and everyone treated me like I belonged.
I got comfortable being in your space and really started to think I was a part of your family.
“I thought I could chill at your place with Freya until you got home, but when she told me I had to wait outside, I was confused. I was a part of your family and should’ve been able to come and go as I pleased.
My confusion turned into disappointment, and that turned into anger.
I don’t know what came over me, but Freya had to pay for making me feel unwelcome. ”
“Fuck you and your sob story. Am I supposed to have sympathy for you?” I questioned, doing my damnedest to keep my anger at bay.
“It took me years to decide how I wanted to get back at you . . . to show you that at any moment, life can go from sugar to shit. You earn a living by being strong and powerful, so I knew I couldn’t hurt you physically. Physical scars fade away with time, but your mind never forgets.”
“Instead of coming to me like a man, you go after the women in my life. You’re a weak, sorry excuse of a man.” I was fuming.
“How often do you think about the moment you caught me on top of Freya, with her dress pushed up to her neck, her little pink panties torn off her body, my fingers caressing her untouched pussy, and her newly sprouted breasts in my mouth?”
“Muthafucka!” I growled, rushing toward him again, but this time, I didn’t get close enough to touch him because Brax and Jrue grabbed me.
I fought them, but together, they were stronger than I thought, and I couldn’t free myself from their grasp.
“Aye, if y’all don’t let me beat his ass, prepare for me to beat yours,” I barked.
“We can’t let you catch a murder charge,” Jrue said as he and Brax put some distance between Dontrell and me.
I’d never been in a situation that required Brax and Jrue to stop me from hurting someone. I kept a low profile, rarely went out, and minded my business. I knew the power behind my punches and never wanted to use them unless I was in the ring. Today, that would change.
“I’m pretty much done here, but before our little reunion comes to an end, I want you to picture my dick in Dynastie’s mouth, hitting the back of her throat, making her gag.
She should give out lessons because her head game is stellar.
Did you ever think the same man who almost took your baby sister’s innocence would be the same man—”
“Argh!” I literally growled as I used all my strength to break out of the hold my best friends had on me.
I pounced on Dontrell, knocking him to the floor and landing on top of him. My fists hit his face repeatedly with so much force that I could hear bones cracking. My boys pulled me off him and had to drag me through the condo and out the door.
Once in the hallway, they released me too soon, and I would’ve gone back inside had I not heard Dynastie calling my name.
“Major!” she shouted as she rushed toward me.
“You were sleeping with the fucking enemy! How could you?”
“What? I didn’t know. I swear, I didn’t know,” she cried.
“Aye, man. Calm down. She’s not your enemy, Major. Think about what you’re saying,” Brax reasoned.
I couldn’t think about shit. My brain was in overdrive trying to process the last fifteen minutes.
“Major—”
Dynastie reached for my arm, but I moved away before she could touch me, causing her to halt her words.
“I need a minute,” I told them before walking past Dynastie.
“The police are on their way,” I heard her say as I headed down the stairs.